GM's day-after-discharge Telephone Program- BWH Bulletin - For and about the People of Brigham and Women's Hospital
GM's day-after-discharge Telephone Program- BWH Bulletin - For and about the People of Brigham and Women's Hospital
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January 28, 2000
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In This Issue:
Top 100-T-shirt Celebration
GM's day-after-discharge Telephone Program
Patient Access Services is Top in Nation
Final Conversion makes BWH "Needle Safe"
Bill Russell Celebrates Dr M.L. King Legacy
Pike Notes
Town Meeting
On December 11, 1999, the General Medical Service launched a pilot service program designed to improve patient outcomes, patient education, and patient satisfaction with their relationship with Brigham and Women's. Dr. Robert Goldszer, vice chair for General Medical Services, has lead the team that has designed and implemented the program in which a nurse calls the patientís home to assess his or her progress a day or two after being discharged. The program is similar to programs in Cardiac Surgery, Orthopedics, and Thoracic Surgery. ìSo far the response from our patients has been universally positive,î reports Goldszer. “Occasional medical problems have been uncovered but the majority of patients are doing well, understand their discharge instructions, and are extremely impressed with the call program.” Patient Access Services worked with GMS to refine the software that could generate the list of the 15-20 patients discharged daily. The nurse caller uses a script crafted by the programís organizing team to evaluate the patientís understanding of medications, side effects, current status of medical problem, and resumption of activities. When medical problems are discovered the nurse can either refer the patient to their physician or call the physician directly. The nurse also asks about the many aspects of a hospital stay and refers problems to Patient and Family Service representatives. “Our goal in the coming weeks is to increase efficiency and reach more people at home,” says Goldszer. In February and March, the Picker Institute will survey patients about their stay in the hospital, and the team will use Picker scores, which will be released publicly in October, and information that Quality Management collects to measure the success of the program. The team hopes to continue the program and discussion are being held with other departments to consider similar programs. For more information contact Nancy Masaschi, MBA, Quality Management Services.